Has Email Marketing Earned Its Place on the Field?

Football fans nationwide have been making their predictions and counting down the days until the 2018 NFL Draft begins. The Browns will get first pick this year, but folks in Cleveland won’t be the only ones tuning in to watch the action. And while the season doesn’t officially kick off until September, the draft offers a little taste of the gridiron glory (and tailgate food) to come.

As football season gets underway, things around the M2 watercooler tend to get a little intense. But the trash talk and rowdy rivalries are all in good fun, of course. There’s never any doubt that we’re all playing for the same team, the one with its eye on the prize: incredible marketing for our clients.

Some of these clients wonder if email is still a major player in the marketing field. They ask if most brands have traded it, hoping to draft an MVP, a More Valuable Platform? Just like the NFL’s top performers, we’ll let the stats speak for themselves.

Assessing Email’s Field Coverage

74 trillion emails are sent every year worldwide. That’s over two million pieces of virtual correspondence hurdling through cyberspace at any given second, landing in their recipients’ mailboxes with a ping.

Boasting a deliverability rate around 98%, nearly every email is reaching its intended destination. And not only are messages being received – but received well. 77% of those polled believe that email is the most trusted online channel.

Creating a Play Book

Now let’s talk strategy. Flooding a shopper’s inbox with content that isn’t relevant, valuable or timely is a huge turn-off. The pros know that sending fewer, high-quality emails trumps more frequent, but mediocre, correspondence. But how can you make sure emails have the desired effect? Personalize them! Studies show that automated email with personalization is often rewarded with a 75% higher open rate!

Here’s another tip: Be sure that emails are optimized for mobile. Of the90% of adults who use email, nearly nine out of ten check their personal accounts on their phones. Irrelevant content won’t earn results, but content that won’t open or load at all can be even more frustrating for consumers.

Determining Email’s Net Worth

An email campaign’s performance isn’t measured in touchdowns or passing yards, but there are certainly ways to determine its effectiveness. Delivery rates, open rates and click-through rates are classic examples, ones that M2’s Digital Team analyze regularly to ensure our clients’ campaigns are on track for success.

And what about the return on investment? We’re glad you asked. Email marketing’s ROI is 28.5% and it collects an average of $38 in return for each dollar spent. Score.

At Motivated Marketing, we think of email as one player on the digital marketing team. Its role is important, but it’s got to play well with others to bring home a W. If you’re not sure how to create a winning email campaign that supports your overall digital strategy, we’d love to help! Give us a call today!